LIVE updates: Barry strengthens to hurricane as dangerous storm nears landfall

Hurricane Barry made landfall along the Louisiana coast just before 11 a.m. PDT. Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center say the expect a big storm surge, heavy rains, and sustained winds of 75-80 mph.

Barry strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Saturday morning, the first hurricane of the 2019 season. Residents in New Orleans and Morgan City are bracing for the worst.

Over 66,000 customers are without power in Louisiana. Delta Air Lines has canceled all flights from New Orleans' airport for the day.

The biggest danger is the chance of very heavy rainfall that threatens to bring life-threatening flash flooding through the weekend.

Some areas of the state are under mandatory evacuation orders.

In Terrebonne Parish, trapped residents were rescued by an air crew early Saturday as floodwaters rose, according to the Coast Guard.

Rain totals may reach 25 inches in some areas.

"We don't know the intervals between periods of heavy rain," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Friday. "So we really have to be extremely prepared for a very major rain event across much of Louisiana."

"If you haven't made preparations, it's probably too late," Pete Gaynor, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told "Good Morning America" Saturday.